


The prefect problem

by mfingenius



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Don't copy to another site, Gen, Slytherin Harry Potter, Slytherin Hermione Granger, Slytherin Ron Weasley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:14:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23728141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mfingenius/pseuds/mfingenius
Summary: Harry Potter is one year above Draco’s, and Draco’s crush since he met him when he was sorted. Draco had been young and terribly excited to be going to Hogwarts. Though his mum had chosen to raise him in the muggle world, she’d told him many things about Hogwarts, and it’s always sounded so much better than his muggle school.He’d been sorted Slytherin, and he’d been a little scared after being shown to the common room. Everything was so dark and scary, and everyone in his house seemed to be cool and detached, and Draco’s - well, Draco’s pretty much the opposite of that.The only person in his house that he like? Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.Ron Weasley is the third part of that particular Trio, but Draco doesn’t like him, just as much as Weasley doesn’t like him, so they mostly ignore each other.
Comments: 47
Kudos: 239





	1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter is one year above Draco’s, and Draco’s crush since he met him when he was sorted. Draco had been young and terribly excited to be going to Hogwarts. Though his mum had chosen to raise him in the muggle world, she’d told him many things about Hogwarts, and it’s always sounded so much better than his muggle school.

He’d been sorted Slytherin, and he’d been a little scared after being shown to the common room. Everything was so dark and scary, and everyone in his house seemed to be cool and detached, and Draco’s - well, Draco’s pretty much the opposite of that.

He’s easily excited, and passionate, and cares too much about everything; he stays up too late reading and drawing and talking to the merepeople in the lake, and most of his housemates seem to think he’s some sort of weird bug. They don’t like him much - he gets on much better with Luna, from Ravenclaw, who seems to be just as odd as he is - than with any of them.

The only person in his house that he like? Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.

Hermione indulges his curiosity much more so than anyone else - even if she also gets exasperated at his questions, which are never school related - and Harry - well, Harry’s _Harry._

Ron Weasley is the third part of that particular Trio, but Draco doesn’t like him, just as much as Weasley doesn’t like him, so they mostly ignore each other.

“Draco,” Harry’s lips quirk when he catches sight of Draco sitting in front of the merepeople again. Draco’s speaking to Agnes, who’s by far the meanest mereperson, but Draco likes her anyway. “You know I’m your prefect, don’t you? You shouldn’t let me catch you up this late.”

Draco pouts lightly, rubbing at his eyes and turning back to Agnes.

“You’re up, too.” He says. “Wouldn’t it be hypocritical of you to give me detention over it?”

“I’m allowed to do things you’re not,” Harry says. Agnes makes a face and leaves, because she doesn’t like other students, and Draco slumps against the glass. He’s exhausted.

Harry sits beside him, and Draco’s heart flutters.

“What were you talking about?” He asks. “Romance?”

Draco hums. “No, I tried that once. The merepeople’s only advice on that seems to be ‘drown them’.”

Potter laughs, and Draco does, too, even if he’s not joking. He did try it once, and Agnes’s advice was, in fact, _drown him_.

“Yes, best not follow that advice,” Harry says. He’s always been kind to Draco, but, much to Draco’s annoyance, seems to view him more as a little kid than a romantic interest. “You should go to bed. You look exhausted.”

“I’m not tired, _mom_.” Draco rolls his eyes, and Harry’s smile fades.

“Are your roommates giving you trouble again?” He asks.

Draco’s dorm mates _especially_ don’t like him. Draco half understands it; he keeps them up too much of the time because of experiments, and he’s half-blown up their dorm more than once. Luna showing him the room of requirement had solved many of his problems.

“You don’t need to step in for me,” Draco says, giving him a _look_. “They already think I’m a coward.”

And he’s not, he’s really not. He just - he has better ways to spend his time than fighting, and, in his experience, fighting back only makes the fight longer, so if he just takes it and waits for it to be over, the sooner he can get back to what he wants to do.

“I know you’re not,” Harry says. “And I’m your prefect, I _am_ supposed to step in for you.”

Draco shakes his head. “It’s alright. They’re not - it’s not that.”

It is, a little bit, but also Draco generally just sleeps like shit. Even back at home, he falls asleep at the sofa reading more often than he falls asleep in his bed; it drives his mum mad.

“Then what is it?” Harry asks gently.

Draco gives him an annoyed look. “I am way too tired for this shit, Potter.”

Harry smiles at him, and it’s much kinder than Draco can deal with. He looks away, face flushing.

He is sure that, by now, everyone knows of his crush on Harry. He thinks even _Harry_ knows of his crush on Harry, but he’s always been kind about it. He’s never even mentioned it to Draco, and he’s elbowed Weasley when he laughs at the way Draco’s face goes red when Harry touches him.

“Alright,” Harry sighs. “But you need to get some sleep.”

“I’m fine,” Draco says. The effect is ruined when he yawns and rubs at his eyes.

Harry shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “Come on, everyone needs to sleep. Do you want me to walk you to your dorm?”

“I’m fine,” Draco insists. “I’ll just stay here a bit, read a little.”

“Draco Black, I am warning you-”

“I just want to-”

Harry stands and picks him up. _Picks him up_.

“Harry!” Draco yelps, grabbing Harry’s shirt tightly.

“You forced me to do this,” Harry tells him as he carries him towards his dorm. Draco doesn’t lose his flush nor his grin for the rest of the night.

*

“He picked me up Luna!” Draco whisper-yells. “ _Picked me up!”_

“That’s nice,” Luna smiles airily. “I’m glad.”

Draco chews on his lower lip, eyeing the pages of _Blood Magic and Curses_ quickly, trying to find what he’s looking for; it’s a restricted section book, and he checked it out with a note from Snape. 

It’s forged - Draco’s good at it, and he does it often - and he uses Snape because he’s the only professor Madam Pince is too scared to talk to, so she won’t ask him why he’s giving one of his students so many notes to check out books from the restricted section.

“It’s just-” he says. “That’s got to mean _something_ , right? He wouldn’t just do that if he didn’t know-”

“Hey Luna,” A voice says. “Hey Black.”

Ginny Weasley walks past them, and Luna waves with a dreamy look on her face. She’s had a crush on Ginny for almost as long as Draco’s had a crush on Harry, and they’re both pathetic about it.

“Hey,” Draco says, because Luna doesn’t answer. When Ginny walks away, he turns to Luna. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I couldn’t,” Luna says sadly.

Draco face palms.

“Hey Draco!” Hermione says.

Draco straightens immediately, because Hermione can only mean-

“Hello,” Harry says, green eyes shining when he looks at Draco.

“Ferret,” the Weasel smirks. 

“Weasel,” Draco says. “I was going to ask what happened to your face, but I remembered ‘unbelievably stupid’ seems to be your permanent expression.”

“Ha,” the Weasel says humorlessly. His lips twist. “Get over your crush on Harry yet?”

Draco’s entire face is burning.

“ _Ron!_ ” Hermione says.

Everyone is quiet, unbelievably awkward, and Draco can’t look at Harry at all. _Fuck_.

“Researching blood magic?” Hermione says, desperately trying to change the subject.

“Yeah,” Draco says, looking at his book and _only_ at his book. “I - it’s an interesting subject.”

“It is,” Hermione agrees.

No one says anything more, and then Hermione speaks again.

“Well, I think we’d best be going,” She drags the other two away, and Draco hears Harry speak.

“Ron, I _told_ you not to-” And he can’t hear the rest of the conversation, because he buries his face in his hands, mortified.

“Do you want me to curse Ron?” Luna asks empathetically. “I can send Nargles his way.”

“I’d like that,” Draco says, muffled


	2. Chapter 2

When Harry turns the hall towards the Slytherin dormitories and sees Draco, he momentarily freezes. They haven’t spoken since the Ron incident - and Harry has told him, multiple times, to leave Draco alone about his crush on Harry - because Draco keeps turning red and making excuses to leave as soon as Harry comes into a room.

Well, he’s not going to let him run away this time; he likes Draco, if not quite in the same way Draco likes him. He’s a sweet kid, really, and Harry feels more than a little bit protective of him. He’s not like the rest of the House, and Harry doesn’t want anyone taking advantage of that.

“Hey,” He says.

Draco’s eyes snap towards him, and his cheeks immediately begins turning red.

“Hey Harry,” He says hesitantly, wringing his hands.

Harry will talk to Ron again; he doesn’t want Draco to look as worried and shy as he does right now, not with him. They’re friends.

“Going out?” he asks, noting that Draco’s not in his uniform; he’s changed into dark jeans and a grey knit hoodie, and his hair’s even messier than usual, as if he’s been running his hands through it. It looks good on him.

“What?” Draco asks, and then looks down at himself when Harry raises an eyebrow pointedly. His flush deepens. “Oh. Yeah.”

“Escaping to the Cinema with Luna again?” Harry asks with a knowing smile; he might’ve followed them, once. He was really only doing it because Ginny begged him to accompany her, to find out if they were dating.

“What? You know about that?”

Harry laughs. “Of course I do.”

He should’ve given some sort of punishment, really, or told Headmistress McGonagall, or at least his head of house. He couldn’t bring himself to do that though, not really, because he liked hearing Draco explain muggle things to Luna.

“Oh,” Draco says. He shifts, eyeing the door, and crosses his arms self-consciously. “Well. No, I’m not going with her tonight.”

“Oh?”

Draco shakes his head. “Anthony asked me out.”

Harry’s brain stops momentarily. “Goldstein?”

Anthony Goldstein is in Draco’s year, a Ravenclaw. He’s not the type to sleep around - he’s only had two six and eight month relationships that Harry knows about - which means this isn’t just an attempt to get into Draco’s pants, which means it probably carries emotional weight, for Goldstein at least. For Draco, too, if he’s said yes.

“You said yes,” He confirms carefully.

Draco gives him an odd look. “Yes.”

Why did he say yes? Isn’t he - helplessly in love with Harry or something? Not that Harry cares or anything - he’s been damn careful not to lead Draco on - but... well, isn’t the point of being in love with someone not dating anyone else?

“Oh.”

Draco gives him that odd look again, and he opens his mouth to speak.

“I’m sorry I took so long.” A voice says from the entrance to the Dungeons. Harry turns to see Anthony Goldstein - in black trousers, a white shirt, and a leather jacket - approaching them. “Are you ready to go?”

He’s a good kid, Harry knows; he’s never gotten into trouble, he’s respectful towards everyone, and he’s a kind person. 

Harry doesn’t know why he hates him so much right now.

“Yeah,” And Draco - whose flush had been fading - flushes again and tucks a strand of his hair behind his ear. It falls right back out, obscuring his eyes. Harry swallows.

“I’ll, uh, see you later.” He says. Then, just to be safe, “Curfew is at nine. Don’t get in trouble sneaking back in.”

Both Goldstein and Draco nod - and Goldstein has the nerve to give Harry a nervous smile - and then disappear through the portrait hole. The last thing Harry sees is Goldstein linking their hands together.

*

“Stop pacing,” Hermione says, rolling her eyes.

Harry is pacing. He knows he is. He can’t stop though. He can’t, because it’s eleven, and Draco and Nott aren’t back yet.

“Why aren’t they back?” He demands. “It’s been four hours Hermione.”

Ron looks up at him warily. “Oh, mate. Are you into the ferret? Is that it?”

“What?” Harry asks, surprised. “Of course not!”

Hermione gives him a look Harry doesn’t understand, and then she sighs and closes her book.

“You’re making it impossible to study. I’ll go up to my dorm. Go to sleep, Harry, I’m sure they’re fine.”

And she leaves up the staircase.

“I’m going with her, mate.” Ron agrees. “It’s getting late. Don’t stay up much longer, yeah?”

Harry makes a sound of agreement, and Ron follows Hermione.

He sits on the couch and waits.

*

He hears them before he sees them; it’s nearly one in the morning, and he hears voices outside the portrait hole.

He waits for Draco to come in, but when, after a few minutes, he doesn’t, Harry stomps over to the portrait and swings it open. Draco and Goldstein are just standing there, talking, but Draco’s smiling and Harry’s chest doesn’t like that.

He glares at Goldstein.

“Inside,” He says roughly, not even turning to look at Draco.

Draco’s frowning, Harry thinks, but he’s too busy glaring at Goldstein and trying to get the message through that he’s never allowed to take Draco out again.

“Goodbye,” Draco says, awkwardly. He looks like he might lean in to kiss Goldstein on the cheek, but he thinks it through at Harry’s look. He ends up giving a small, awkward wave, and then steps into the Slytherin Common Room. Harry slams the portrait shut after him.

“It’s one in the morning, what the hell were you thinking?” he snaps immediately.

Draco frowns at him.”You told me not to get caught. I didn’t.”

“That wasn’t the point!” Harry’s angry, and he doesn’t understand why. He should be glad Draco’s going out with someone; it means he’s not into Harry anymore, and that’s good. That’s what Harry wanted. Isn’t it? “Anything could’ve happened to you!”

“I was with-”

“Goldstein, I know.”

Draco squints at him. “Are you - angry? Do you not like Anthony?”

Whose name even is Anthony? It’s ridiculous!

“I didn’t know you were friends.” Harry says, avoiding the question.

“We aren’t,” Draco shrugs. “Lavender Brown set us up. She’s good at that sort of thing.”

Clearly, she’s not, if she thinks Draco belongs with Anthony Goldstein. It’s ridiculous.

“You have detention.” He says, because he doesn’t know what else to say.

“What?” Draco asks, disbelieving.

Harry shrugs. “You broke the rules. I’m your prefect. You have detention.”

Draco looks surprised for a moment longer before he glares at Harry.

“Why?” He snaps. “Because I had a date?”

“Because you broke a rule.”

“I’ve broken dozens of rules before, and you’ve never cared!”

“It’s different this time.”

“Why?”  
“Because it is!” Harry snaps. He’s not sure that it is, really. It shouldn’t be, but it feels different.

Draco purses his lips, exhales harshly. 

“You don’t like that I’m not - helplessly pining after you anymore.” He says, coolly, like it’s a simple deduction and not a sentence that sends an ice pick through Harry’s heart.

“That’s not it.” He says calmly.

“No, it is.” Draco says. He walks closer, flushing with anger, and doesn’t stop until they’re nearly pressed together; Harry looks down at him and catches sight of long, dark blonde eyelashes, faint traces of freckles. It would be so easy to press their lips together; he turns his head away.

Draco laughs drily and steps back. 

“You don’t want me, and you don’t want me to want anyone else,” He snaps. “Fuck you, Potter.”

And he stomps up the staircase towards his dorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter requested to my tumblr :D


	3. Chapter 3

Draco considers not showing up; Harry’s never given him detention before, and since they haven’t spoken since their fight, he almost thinks Harry’s thought it through and realized how ridiculous it was to be angry.

It seems he hasn’t, though, because Luna tells him at lunch that Harry told her to tell him to show up for detention in the Potions classroom at four.

Draco very nearly throws a piece of carrot cake at the prat’s head.

“You’re late,” Harry tells him when he arrives.

“I didn’t want to come,” Draco snaps. He’s still angry, and seeing Harry so calm isn’t helping. He doesn’t get it; Harry doesn’t like him, not in the way Draco does - and he’s been careful to let Draco know that without hurting him - and that’s fine, really, it is, but it’s not fine for him to get angry when Draco finally does what everyone’s been telling him to and moves on.

And alright, ‘moving on’ might be a very strong word; though he enjoyed his date with Anthony, and Draco thinks they could be great friends, he doesn’t feel for him what he feels for Harry.

He’s just - been ignoring that.

“You broke a rule,” Harry tells him, again, as though Draco doesn’t know that’s his pathetic excuse for giving him detention. “I’m not doing this because I’m angry with you.”

Draco hates that that comforts him a little; he doesn’t want Harry to be angry at him.

“We don’t need to talk,” Draco informs him, and Harry sighs and waves his hand in defeat.

“Alright,” He says. “We’re cleaning cauldrons.”

And Harry doesn’t need to stay there, he could just come back in a couple of hours, but he does. He sits on the desk for a while, simply watching Draco, and then he sighs and sits beside him on the floor, helping him clean the cauldrons.

Draco looks at him.

“You don’t have to do that,” he says, a little bit annoyed. He doesn’t want Harry to help him, because he wants to keep being mad at him for as long as he wants, and this is already softening the anger.

“You’re right, I don’t,” Harry says. “But we’re - friends, aren’t we? And I want to help you.”

Draco stays quiet. _Are_ they friends? Draco has a heartbreakingly big crush on Harry, and Harry most likely views him as nothing more than a little brother. He doesn’t know if that counts as friends.

“You’re right,” Harry says, after a while, and for a moment Draco thinks he’s said something out loud. “I didn’t give you detention because you broke a rule. I was angry with you.”

“Why?” Draco asks, shoulders tightening. “I’m not - you don’t like me. Not that way. And I know that, and it’s alright, and it’s why I went on that date. It’s not fun to be - _pining_ after you all the time.”

“I know,” Harry groans rubbing at his face. He leaves a dark mark from the cauldron across his cheek, and Draco fights the urge to wipe it away. “I know that. I don’t want you to be pining after me.”

“Then what is it?” Draco asks. “Is there something wrong with Anthony?”

“No!” Harry says. Then, “Not that I know of. I don’t - I don’t know why I was angry, I - Ron says it’s jealousy, and I don’t know if it is, because I’ve never had to - I didn’t think of you that way.”

“Didn’t?”

“Don’t,” Harry says, then groans. “Didn’t. I don’t know, I - maybe I-”

Draco stares helplessly; he’s had a crush on Harry for five years now, and Harry’s sitting there telling him that _maybe_ he likes him? That _maybe_ he thinks of him that way, when Draco had finally made the choice to forget about him?

It’s not _fair_.

“Harry,” he says, very quietly. “I don’t - if you don’t like me that way, it’s fine. It is. We can still be friends, I’ll move on. But don’t - _tell me_ that you do if you’re not sure. I don’t - I’m not willing to do that.”

Harry nods vigorously. “No, I know - I - I wasn’t planning on telling you at all, but then-”

He groans. 

“I don’t know,” He says, again, and Draco shakes his head to clear it. It doesn’t work. “Can I kiss you?”

“What?” Draco asks, entirely blindsided.

“A kiss,” Harry says. “One. That’s it. I swear I’ll figure it out that way.”

And Draco should say no, he should, because it is not only the most idiotic plan in existence, but it’ll break his heart if Harry decides he doesn’t like them after a kiss.

Still, he says, “Yes.”

Harry moves closer, leans in, and, for a moment, both of them just breathe; Draco doesn’t know what to do with his hands.

And then Harry closes the distance between them and he’s kissing him, _really_ kissing him, and Draco fists his hands in his lap to avoid grabbing at Harry. Except then Harry places a hand on his waist, and all thought of control flees Draco’s mind.

He puts a hand on Harry’s arm, grabbing his shirt, and fights not to follow him when Harry pulls away. 

He’s looking at Draco very oddly.

“Yeah,” he says, clearing his throat. “Yeah.”

“Yes?” Draco asks, because he doesn’t know what it means.

“Definitely,” Harry nods, and pulls Draco closer, and Draco is only too happy to comply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yet another unexpected requested third part

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed reading this :D Find me on tumblr @mfingenius


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